Over the weekend, during a visit by President and Mrs. Trump to Saudi Arabia, members of his family and administration participated in events purporting to empower women (although the Saudi women in attendance were accompanied by male ‘chaperones’ as is required by Saudi law). They accepted a commitment of $100 million dollars toward a women’s empowerment program sponsored by the World Bank and Ivanka Trump. A financial commitment that is laughable given that Saudi Arabia still requires women to keep their bodies and heads covered when going out in public. Saudi Arabia also practices segregation of women when it comes to entering many public places and restaurants. It prohibits women from driving. And in a Saudi court of law, the testimony of two women is required to equal that of one man. Read More

Ted Cruz’s fundraising numbers are up and could gain support by attacking the budget deal, but he’s still polling in single digits nationally. Was it a good or bad day for Ted Cruz? David Catanese, Katie Packer Gage and Jamal Simmons weigh in.

Jared Bernstein, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and Katie Packer Gage, Burning Glass Consulting, discuss whether it’s time to begin taking Donald Trump more seriously as he continues to eclipse his political opponents.